'F-- you. You have money. This is how I make money'

HE ONLY wanted to steal expensive headphones to trade for drugs, but ended up pulling a knife out on a staff member and charged with armed robbery.

Paul Andrew Hill, 28, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court on October 10 to one armed robbery charge, five stealing charges, two enter premise charges and one attempted stealing.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said Hill's criminal history was five pages long, included five separate occasions he spent in prison for offending and 51 offences of a like nature.

On this occasion, Hill armed himself with tin snips and entered the JB HiFi store at Stockland Rockhampton on March 18 and walked straight up to the headphone section of the store, grabbed a Beats headphone set worth $500, snipped the chain and walked out with the headphones.

Ms Lawrence said a store employee followed him and corner him and said "put the goods down, mate. It's not worth it. You've been caught."

"F-- you. You have money. This is how I make money," Hill responded.

Ms Lawrence said Hill then pulled a knife out of his pocket and threatened to hurt the store employee.